1893 Map of Fort Scott

About this map

Fort Scott serves as the focal point for this late 19th-century survey of the Southeast Kansas borderlands, where the Kansas City Ft. Scott and Gulf Railroad and Missouri Pacific Railroad intersect to drive the region's economy. The landscape is defined by the drainage basins of the Little Osage River and the Marmaton River, which supported a network of small agricultural and mining outposts. From the northern township of Freedom down to Girard in the south, the map details the early civil organization of Bourbon and Crawford counties. Researchers will find numerous small settlements such as Hiattville, Hepler, and Uniontown, many of which were established as vital shipping points along the expanding St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad. The mapping reflects a period when rail connectivity was the primary determinant for town survival and growth in the Missouri-Kansas border region.